Smart Bitches: The Budget Book Tour

Bitch BookCalling all Bitchery members: I’m looking to put together the bargain book tour, wherein I drive like madness and show up in a host of places. Trouble is, I’m not sure the best way to approach the planning. On one hand, I can start looking for bookstores in major areas and commence flirting, but the peculiar and awesome thing about the Smart Bitch Book is that I’m just as interested in meeting the readers of this here website as I am curious who will be interested in the book, the site, and romance as a genre. It’s like a big sociology experiment and book tour in one!

So rather than aim for the stores and plan around them, I figured I’d ask you: where do you think I should go? Got a splendid romance-friendly bookstore to recommend? A Borders or Barnes and Noble outpost with an exceptional romance selection? Or a library that has very romance-friendly librarians? I want to know about it, where it is, and who to contact. If you don’t want to leave that info in the comments, please email me and put “Smart Bitch Book Tour” in the subject line. (My inbox is the scariest place in the universe, even more freakish than the sink trap after I wash toddler dishes.)

I’m flexible and curious, so I’ll go anywhere. My goal is to meet as many people who read the site as possible, spread the word about man-titty and the marvelousness of romance, talk about our site, and the book, and see some of the outstanding book collections for sale or rent that focus on the Lurrrrrve™. If you’re a romance author and you’d like to team up, please feel free to contact me as well.

I’m located in northern New Jersey, if you didn’t know, and I work in Manhattan, so anywhere in the New York Metro area is totally open. I’m definitely going to be in Doylestown, PA, and in Manhattan somewhere (look for the thigh highs! NOT!), plus there’s a likelihood that Iowa will be graced with my loud and boisterous countenance, but if there’s buses, trains, flights or even car rides in store, I will try to draft an itinerary within my budget and my ability to squeeze pennies out of online flight vendors.

So let me know, and help me plan the Bitch Book Tour. Bring it on!

Categorized:

General Bitching...

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  1. Stelly says:

    Any chance of you showing up in Canada?  As far west as Vancouver?

  2. dizmo says:

    Well, I work at a Borders out in Vegas, and our romance selection, while not expansive, is decent at least.

    Plus I’m constantly visiting the site for the laughs, and I have a coworker who’s a huge romance fan.

    … But Vegas is a bit far from NYC.

  3. Come to London! We have book shops!

  4. Pat L. says:

    Well, the Borders in Bohemia, NY (Long Island – near MacArthur airport) has a wonderful romance section and the same for the Connetquot library (also in Bohemia) – they are very good at ordering books for me if they don’t have what I am looking for. They have 2 turn thingamajiggies of romance plus 2 fiction which includes romance as well plus shelves upstairs which also include romance.

    Would love to see you in my neck of the woods.

  5. Trac says:

    Remember that Borders and B&N events have to be scheduled through district events reps, not managers in the stores. Some might let it slide, but they wouldn’t be able to publicize it to the best of their ability. It might be easier to go with independents and libraries.

  6. One of the best romance booksellers I’ve seen in the Barnes and Noble in West Chester, OH (Cincinnati area).  The CRM’s name is Linda and she’s awesome.

    AND…there’s an awful lot of authors and romance writers in that area.

  7. Betsy says:

    I’m a student at Smith College in Northampton, MA—in my opinion, the perfect community for a stop on your tour!  Northampton is a fabulous, quirky, artsy town with lots of great restaurants, bookstores and concert venues even, and Smith is full of lovely feminist ladies who would love to hear you talk about romance and general Smart Bitchery.  Not to mention that I myself would be squeeing to no end if you came here. 🙂

  8. Michelle W says:

    I live in the suburbs of Washington DC and would gladly put you up for a night or 2 and be your chauffeur!  I know we can find a bookstore or 2 for you to sign in.

    Michelle “-)

  9. shaina says:

    ok, see, i want you to come to me (northampton MA works for me too, but i asked my mom if our local library in central MA or our local borders in Marlborough MA where she used to work would host you too), BUT. I wont be home til june. so PLEASE tell me this tour will be after that!!!!! i’d simply die if i was still in Israel and you guys were in MY TOWN (or close to it).

  10. Missy Ann says:

    Wrong part of the country but if you ever make it down to Houston you’ve got to come to
    http://www.katybooks.com/

  11. Chris says:

    Well, if you make it to Iowa, you should wander up to the Twin Cities! The Roseville Barnes & Noble always seems to have interesting author events.

  12. ev says:

    NY,MA,VT area works for me.

    I would have reccommended our Border’s but since i quit the romance section absolutely sucks big time.

    i do know that we have a local romance group, a friend belongs to it. I can check with her and maybe she knows of an independent here in the Albany, NY area.

  13. Elizabeth Wadsworth says:

    Are used bookstores out of the question?  If not, I can’t say enough good things about the Book Barn in Niantic CT.  Picture a couple acres with a huge old rambling house and about half a dozen outbuildings, all jam-packed floor to ceiling with books, a few dozen cats wandering around, sheep, goats, Celtic folk music playing on the stereo system…

    I know they’ve done launch parties in the past for new releases—Harry Potter comes to mind—so they might not be opposed to something like this.  No guarantees, though.

  14. Bonnie says:

    Oooooo, please come to Chicago!  There’s a lovely Borders on the corner of Michigan Ave and Pearson.  Plus, this city’s a blast!

  15. Karen in Ohio says:

    Cincinnati has three other good stores: Borders in Eastgate, Books-a-Million in Liberty Township (neither of these are actually in Cincinnati, but close), and Joseph Beth in Norwood. All three have good selections of romance novels, but only Joseph Beth routinely had authors in.

    Good luck!

  16. rebyj says:

    The South needs you! Come put the Bible belt in a twist. You can be a bitch down here but you gotta smile sweetly when you shoot verbal barbs. If the book sells the millions I expect and you start flying to locations and you hit Nashville (where I am) or heck, Memphis, Knoxville, Atlanta I’ll drive to you!
    As for good bookstores here there’s a big Barnes and Noble in the Opry Mills Mall right next to the lovely Opryland Hotel. Within walking distance of the resturant “cock of the walk” which the food isn’t that great but you get to say cock all you want without someone inviting you to Sunday services.

  17. lustyreader says:

    I second Michelle W for the DC area! I’m in downtown DC and would recommend Kramer Books. They have a great intimate setting and have always been helpful with my book selections, but MORE IMPORTANTLY because a) of all it is 3 blocks away from me in fun Dupont Circle neighborhood and b) of all the “Afterwords” cafe is infamous in its own right for delicious food

  18. Tami says:

    If you hit up Madison, Wisconsin, I would think that the Frugal Muse would be a great place to get in touch with people who love books of all shapes, sizes, and degree of man-titty.

    http://www.frugalmuse.com/west.html

    Should be contact information on their site. I’ve always been incredibly impressed with it. It’s a used bookstore, but it’s one that makes you WANT to come back to it and it’s locally owned.

  19. Liz says:

    you should check out the Borders at Atlas Park Mall in Queens.  They have a decent romance section, with many romances spilling over into their thriller section.  The mall itself (as well as the Borders) has only been there a couple of years, but there are always a lot of people in there.

  20. Jessica G. says:

    ZOMG you’ll be coming to Doylestown? That’s close enough for me!

  21. Anna/ocelott says:

    Yes, please don’t forget Canada!  We’ll feel all sad and neglected. 🙁 Good stops up here would be Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, and maybe something in the east like Halifax.  You should be able to book through McNally Robinson (for Winnipeg and Toronto) or Chapters (for any of the above).

    Be especially sure to stop in Winnipeg.  What?  No, I’m not biased at alllll. <.<

  22. Jill S. says:

    I vote for California …!!!

  23. Lori says:

    I third the votes for Washington DC.  Kramer books is good—-and we have the Smithsonian.

  24. Babs says:

    The Washington DC are is a quick train ride away…please come!

  25. Jean says:

    Charlottesville, VA has a thriving book culture and several large bookstores. There is also a book festival at the end of March.

    http://www.vabook.org/index.html/

    Oh, and you can take a train from NYC to Charlottesville, with one change in Washington, DC. Takes about 6 hours to get here.

  26. SB Sarah says:

    These are some awesome suggestions—thank you!! and no, I’m not adverse to going to anywhere romance readers populate, including used bookstores and college campuses. I would be pleased to guest lecture at a class.

    …and readers from the Caribbean are especially welcome to invite me, because holy crap I’m cold.

  27. Anna/ocelott says:

    …ok, we might not be the warmest city right now, but I am not above bribery.  Sarah, if you come out to Winnipeg, I will greet you with one of the greatest t-shirts ever.

  28. Scotlland loves Romance says:

    What about doing the Edinburgh book festival? We love books here.

  29. Juleigh says:

    How about coming to Melbourne! (Victoria, not Florida). I can think of a patricular convention in just a few days time, where an auction will be held for an interview by SB will be up for grabs. Fly on down here for a face-to-face with the winning bidder for that interview, coincide it with the book launch and kill two birds with one stone. The bonus being, you’d get to test that water circling down the drain theory for yourself. Its a win-win situation, honestly!!!

  30. closetcrafter says:

    Please don’t forget the city of your birth and how many college campuses are here. You also need to consider our easily drivable tri-state “big city conglomerate”—- The Burgh, Youngstown, and Fairmount WV, or if you are feeling fancy, the Burgh, Cleveland and Wheeling, come on, it’s almost pierogi season…. Maybe your missing your family, the babies need to see their other Grammy? Something?

  31. Keira says:

    I don’t see how I can help with a real book tour so what about a virtual book blog tour? I would love having you at Love Romance Passion!

  32. Keira says:

    Oh and come to Orlando or somewhere close to that city! lol

  33. Anaquana says:

    I also have to chime in and suggest Western MA!!!!

    There is a wonderful used bookstore called Pam’s Paperbacks in Wilbraham that specializes in romances.

  34. Betsy says:

    I’ll talk to the head of the English Department and see if I can have you officially invited!

  35. Lita says:

    LONG ISLAND, baby – you gotta come out here.  The Huntington Book Revue is totally author friendly, and would welcome you with open arms.  Check them out at The Book Review.

  36. Gutenberg says:

    I’ll second the rec for the B&N Cincy.  As Shiloh said, there are tons of romance authors in the area. 

    To get more bang for your buck since you’d have to fly out, you could schedule your visit to coincide with Lori Foster & Dianne Castell’s Reader Author Get Together, June 5th-June 7th.  Loads of fun and the place is crawling with folks who love romance.  If you decide to go, then I can drive you from the airport to the hotel. 

    More info is on Lori Foster’s website at:
    http://www.lorifoster.com/community/readergettogether.php

  37. shaunee says:

    Since you’re in the tri-state, why not come to Connecticut?  I would love to meet you (I do not squee, however I would consider doing a very decorous Snoopy dance on the inside).  If you plan to be in the area around the first weekend in May, you should come to CTRWA’s annual conference.  A bunch of authors will be there selling their books and talking about writing.  Editors and agents too.  Food, a cocktail reception—what more could you want?  http://www.ctrwa.org for more info.

  38. Nicole says:

    Did I hear Iowa?!?!?!  As in the state where I live?  Tell me it will be Des Moines so I can see you AND Jane.  And go out and be loud and talk about romance all night.

  39. Anna says:

    Come to Portland, Oregon, of course…and tackle the intellectual stronghold of Powell’s bookstore where, while truly a wonderful place, romances are put in a corner like a crack dealer in an alley and looking at them can get you kicked from the cool kids table. I’ve mixed the metaphor, but I think the gist is there.

  40. With Portland and Vancouver on the table, Seattle in the middle is a must. There’s a marvelous manager at the Borders in Redmond (near Seattle) who’s is a huge advocate of romance. Her name’s Andrea Roe.

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